The application of appropriate policies and rules to be applied for mobile subscribers in a wireless core network is determined by a Policy Charging Rule Function (“PCRF”) network node. The PCRF node uses Diameter Gx messaging to communicate rules to be applied at a packet gateway. When a Radio Access Network (“RAN”) node experiences congestion (referred to as “RAN congestion”), a RAN operator may configure a different set of rules to be applied for mobile subscribers. Depending upon the level of congestion experienced at the node, the rules to be applied for the mobile subscriber can be changed automatically by provisioning the PCRF network node accordingly. The message used for changing the rules is a Diameter Gx RAR message. As a result, there may be excessive RAR messaging in the network, especially at hour boundaries when rules need to be changed due to a change in network congestion levels.
In some embodiments, the method further includes receiving from the second network node an answer message indicating that the at least one rule has been installed on the second network node. The method may also include determining whether a request update message has been received from the second network node indicating that a revalidation timer maintained at the second network node has timed out; and, if a request update message has been received from the second network node indicating that a revalidation timer maintained at the second network node has timed out, the method may include evaluating a new current level of congestion experienced by the session; predicting a new level of congestion that will be experienced by the session beginning at a next time boundary; sending an answer update message to the second network node, the answer update message comprising at least one new rule corresponding to the new current level of congestion and the new predicted level of congestion, in which the new rule has associated therewith an activation time and a deactivation time; and refraining from sending an additional request message to the second network node at the next time boundary.
In certain embodiments, if the current congestion level and the predicted congestion level are the same, the at least one rule includes a single rule and in which a deactivation time associated with the single rule is two time periods after the activation time thereof. If the current congestion level and the predicted congestion level are different, the at least one rule may include two rules, in which a deactivation time of a first rule of the two rules is the same as an activation time of the second rule of the two rules. The predicting may be accomplished by accessing a database including historical congestion information data for the communications network. The first network node may be a Policy Charging Rule Function (“PCRF”) node and the second network node may be a Policy Charging Enforcement Function (“PCEF”) node. The at least one rule may be a Policy and Charging Control (“PCC”) rule.